Meloni publically states that she's against Italian
participation in the Beijing-sponsored Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Her administration
has attempted to patch-up differences with EU/NATO members France and with the
Washington Establishment – which has not been always thrilled with the
trajectory of the Italian Right, especially the Salvini-led Lega Party, which
is part of Meloni's coalition.
I sincerely don't mean this in any kind of sense of bitterness but something struck me today – it's instructive one might say. I caught the headline that Bill Oesterle, the founder of Angie's List died of ALS at the age of 57. It's a national story.
This is certainly a story that will not make it into
mainstream US media – as the US Establishment doesn't even want such questions
raised about the AUKUS alliance. And if the story emerges in other venues you can be certain that
operatives and 'commentators' will spin the story and make transform these
protestors into 'China stooges' or something along those lines. They might even
find a way to blame Putin for it.
Western Mainstream Media continues to largely ignore the situation with Julian Assange. He has now spent more than a decade effectively (and actually) imprisoned without ever facing any kind of trial or due process – the bogus charges being used as a pretense to seize him being found without merit and dropped. But by then he was caught in a series of legal traps and in order to avoid the snares laid for him by the CIA – he became a fugitive and asylum seeker.
Are these serious people – or merely actors and clowns? The
Squad is trying to start riots?
Recently I've heard rumblings from within the Christian community that US foreign policy should support (or foster) the break-up (or division) of Nigeria in order to protect the persecuted Christians that live there. They want a new state carved out for the Christian community to protect them from the various Islamic threats.
https://www.vcyamerica.org/crosstalk/2023/04/13/growing-violence-in-society/
I'm not going to waste a great deal of time interacting with what
is effectively John Birch Radio – or at least its Fundamentalist-Evangelical
arm. It is spiritually bankrupt and while there are bits of gospel truth to be
found on CrossTalk, the deception and error far outweigh it and expose the show
as a dangerous font of heresy and disinformation.
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/4/9/how-death-and-despair-haunt-pakistans-christian-minority
When it comes to the Subcontinent, most in the West are
likely to think of the troubles that Christians face under Narendra Modi's BJP
government in India. And indeed, Christians continue to face threats and
harassment by his administration and its paramilitary proxies such as the RSS.
Once again I wish to thank all those who have prayed for my son's recovery from a broken back. Nine months after the accident, months in a brace, and weeks of physical therapy, he was finally able to return to his job. And after a few months of office work and other temporary tasks, he just recently started driving again.
He's still dealing with some pain and awkwardness which is to
be expected. As a flatbed truck driver there's a lot of climbing up and down,
strapping, cranking, and slinging heavy chains. This is causing him some
difficulty. There are days where one makes multiple short runs which involve
more of this 'on the trailer' sort of work – securing and dismantling each load.
He's not as keen on that at present (as those are days of considerable pain)
and he does better with longer drives and less fuss. It's still going to take
some time and it may be in the end that he decides to pursue something else. Time
will tell.
Therefore, please keep praying if it comes to mind. But be assured that prayers have been answered. God be praised and thanks to all of you again. My son can not only walk but it would seem he's slowly returning to a normal life.
https://consortiumnews.com/2023/04/11/saudis-arent-afraid-of-us-anymore/
These are noteworthy developments to say the least. Riyadh still
maintains close ties with Washington and yet it's clear as the linked author
indicates – the Saudis are no longer afraid of America or of earning its
displeasure.
I recently had an interesting experience with Google. An article from 2016 was flagged by the Blogger platform as violating their community terms of use. It wasn't removed, but it was censored in that you have to agree that you were an adult to read it – and sign in via a Google log-in.
https://billmuehlenberg.com/2023/01/17/douglas-macarthur-christianity-and-japan/
All I can
say is 'wow'.
The way that
Bill Muehlenberg manages to distort both history and Scripture is nothing short
of remarkable.
During
World War I, the Wilson administration targeted dissenters and critics of
America's war policy and in many cases jailed and deported them. Even
suggesting that someone shouldn't register for the draft was enough to warrant
an investigation and possible arrest. It was also a time of vigilante groups,
and unofficial 'shadow' units within police and sheriff's departments. Groups
like the American Legion also played a part in pursuing and harassing critics
of the war.
https://theaquilareport.com/wokism-and-silent-preachers-a-redux-of-hitlers-germany/
The fool speaks again. We have certainly wasted some ink
responding to the likes of retired PCA minister Larry Ball, but given that his
material is published at The Aquila Report it's evident that someone finds it
to be noteworthy and intelligent. It's hard to imagine someone might find it
edifying but given that there are still people walking around with Newsmax and
Trump hats on – anything is possible.
American Family Radio (a subsidiary of the American Family Association) recently sent out emails for its spring fund raiser. I call on readers to note the confusion expressed in their statements and evaluate their claims.
The email begins:
|
Through the years, AFA
has developed a broad range of resources, strategies, and media outlets aimed
at promoting Christian values in all areas of our public life. Perhaps you
are already a listener to our broadcast division called American Family
Radio, where, right now, we are engaged in our Spring “Living Water”
Share-a-thon. |
https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/greek-position-on-kosovos-independence-unchanged/
Though it aggravates the United States and even Brussels to no end, there are still multiple states within the European Union that refuse to recognize Kosovo as a state. It's telling just how much the media refuses to engage this issue because of course the Russian annexation of Crimea is effectively no different than what the US did with Kosovo in the late 1990's. In fact there's a much larger (and pernicious) story concerning the break-up of Yugoslavia and the American role in it that to this day is largely unknown.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/8/analysis-will-azerbaijan-iran-tensions-lead-to-war
This is a story that I've been following for years – the fact
that Azerbaijan has become a platform for Israeli military and espionage
operations directed against Iran. Azerbaijan itself is a divided land – the Turkic-speaking
region was carved out of Persia first by the Tsars in the nineteenth century
and then under Stalin the northern portion of the territory became part of the
USSR. Apart from a brief episode in the context of the Russian Revolution and
Civil War, Azerbaijan only became truly independent in 1991. And while the
population is mostly Shiite (orienting them toward Iran), being Turkic they
also retain close cultural ties to Ankara and share the general Turkish
hostility toward the Armenians – with whom they have fought two wars since the
break-up of the Soviet Union.
https://churchandfamilylife.com/podcasts/6390cc89fad8bafe3a9ec787
At about the twelve minute mark we come to:
5. Be on a Budget
Budgets are very helpful, but contrary to the narrative being
provided, there are people who spend years trying to get that money set aside
for tires or whatever and can never get there. Life keeps happening and because
the margins are too tight, they can't meet those goals. Others have volatile
incomes – shift workers whose hours change every week, or those who are
self-employed. A sickness can throw everything off and then while you're trying
to get it back on track – a car repair comes up that you can't pay for.
Sometimes it can take months to get back on track, but by then something else
has likely happened. These people are not necessarily doing anything wrong –
they're simply struggling.
https://churchandfamilylife.com/podcasts/6390cc89fad8bafe3a9ec787
Contrary to its claims, this podcast seemingly exists to
proclaim the insufficiency of Scripture because not only is the doctrine of the
New Testament ignored when it comes to money, its applications and attitudes
about mammon, possessions, and worldliness are rejected and replaced by an opposite
set of values.
Listening to American Family Radio (AFR) I was struck by something 'Bishop' EW Jackson said. When I'm down in a certain area I can pick up AFR and it seems like his show comes on while I'm in the car eating my lunch.
https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/news/is-germanys-lng-gold-rush-coming-to-an-end/
This article demonstrates the internal conflict that plagues
modern Western capitalist economies. Germany needs Liquefied Natural Gas, all
the more since the Nordstream pipelines were blown up and the gas supply from
Russia has been cut off.
The US media and Washington's political mouthpieces can
downplay this question all they want but the discussions are happening and at a
greater pace than seen before.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is a centrist
when compared to his coalition partners, understands the critical need for US
Evangelical support and while he undoubtedly views his American backers as
useful idiots and does not want to see their brand of Christianity flourish in
his country, he doesn't want to unnecessarily antagonize them – and thus has
(since this initial writing) made moves to counter this legislation which would
block their missionary work. Besides given the near uprising over his proposed
reform of the judiciary, he's got much bigger problems and needs his American
backers at a time like this.
It's one thing for Christian musicians to compose works that are informed or influenced by the faith and the ideas associated with it. But when such music is labeled 'Christian' then several important lines are blurred. It becomes a form of 'sacred' music in the minds of many and as such its performance can be associated with worship.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/03/06/south-korea-kill-web/
This ship has long sailed and the situation between North and
South Korea is a bit different due to the geopolitics, unresolved conflict, and
sheer proximity, but the systems outlined in this article demonstrate what must
be called the offensive nature of missile defense systems.
This story from back in January never gained any traction. It
was but one of many of a similar type that seems omnipresent within the news but
never subject to analysis or question.
A recent conversation led me to revisit the Austin Bombings
back in 2018. In some respects I'm surprised there hasn't been more of this
sort of thing – more Christian Terrorism as it were.
There are many people of similar mindset and developing in
the same matrix of ideas. Some can't deal with all the implications and
pressures and become radicalized.
No, this isn't about TikTok but about a state sponsored
registry app for Christians within China and the reporting failures of the Evangelical
infotainment, tabloid, and spin factories that try to pass themselves off as
news.
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/should-john-witherspoons-statue-remain-at-princeton.html
The Capitalist decadence masquerading as
Cultural Revolution is now targeting the statue of John Witherspoon at
Princeton University. Witherspoon was a pivotal figure in the school's history
and is considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. As a
slaveholder, the activists of the hour want his statue (or monument) removed
and his legacy tarred.
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/preserved-god
Leaving aside the misguided (though not unexpected) use of a
Winston Churchill quote, the problem with Parsons' argument is that he doesn't
define what saving faith is. And interestingly if you get a half-dozen
Confessional theologians into a room and ask this question, you'll likely end
up with a heated debate and a lack of consensus.
https://eurasianet.org/blinken-strikes-reassuring-tone-in-dialogue-with-central-asian-partners
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken made a recent trip to
Central Asia and despite attempts by Western media to spin the visit in a
positive light – it is being almost universally acknowledged as a failure. The
Central Asian states refuse to back US-sponsored resolutions in the UN that
would condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine and they clearly rejected Blinken's
overtures – recognizing them for what they are, an attempt at warmongering.
https://issuesetc.org/2022/06/29/1802-just-war-dr-jonathan-shaw-6-29-22/
The fact that Jonathan Shaw is a retired military chaplain
already discredits him and identifies him as one sold out to the military
machine, and one that was willing to make endless compromises in order to do
so. Military chaplains are not worthy of any regard or respect. They are to be
rebuked.
That said, let's consider some of his points with regard to
the Just War tradition.
Listening to this sad and disturbing but already well
documented story of Cobalt mining in the Congo, I found myself frustrated on
multiple levels.
We finally found a church that we want to attend. Unfortunately it's an over an hour away and in a direction that we almost never go and has never appealed to us. We don't like the drive and the culture changes a bit over that way. Our entire area could be characterised as Trump country, with some areas voting for him in the seventy and eighty percentile range, but this town has always been on the extreme. Even during the peak of Covid, the town in question always had the highest counts and was the most recalcitrant to any kind of mitigation efforts. We just don't like the place much but we found this church that (all things considered) has been somewhat encouraging.
Profits are on the rise. The railroad industry is booming and
Norfolk Southern is buying back stocks to increase their value even as they
throw crumbs at the people in East Palestine, Ohio. Utility companies across the United States
and the world are raising prices even amid what are in some cases record
profits.
Why do I have to keep hearing about Kathy Ireland? Why are these people celebrated for their supposed faith? The woman became famous in the 1980's for taking her clothes off. Tame by today's standards, this was a more innocent time and a publication like the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition was a big deal for teenage boys and young men – that was a lot of skin to lust over. It wouldn't even grab anyone's attention today but for years that magazine's annual release was a cultural moment and viewed as scandalous by anyone with a moral compass.
It's surprising to me that this transaction wouldn't be
considered in violation of sanctions as it is effectively a business
transaction with a Russian company. Lukoil may not be directly targeted but the
spectrum of sanctions is sweeping enough that I'm sure regulatory officials and
prosecutors could make a case to block this sale if they wanted to.
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/boltons-big-error-on-china-and-north
Larison states what should be obvious to all – John Bolton is
not qualified to speak on this topic. His record as a warmonger and
miscalculator is well-established.
*Updated 16 October 2024
https://theintercept.com/2023/01/18/genaro-garcia-luna-trial/
Ten days after winning the Mexican presidency in 2006, and
encouraged by the Bush administration, Felipe Calderon launched the Mexican Drug
War. Less than two decades later over 500,000 are dead and even these figures
are misleading as they don't include all of the tangential deaths involved in
connection to drugs – nor do mere numbers explain what the war has meant for
the industry, its markets, and societies ranging from South America to the
Canadian border.
Mainstream media has all but ignored Seymour Hersh's latest Substack
piece in which he states emphatically something that many of us have suspected
all along – that the Nordstream Pipelines were sabotaged by the US Navy.
The hypocrisy of the United States knows no boundaries. We've seen this time and again, but it's still shocking to behold.
The latest episode is with regard to Ukraine. The US is
threatening that China would be crossing a red line if it provides lethal arms
and other weaponry to Russia. It would be unacceptable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUxZeEaa7BI
I had not realized to just what extent Glenn Beck was
reaching out and engaged in a kind of functional if informal ecumenism. I knew
he had made tremendous inroads into the Evangelical sphere deceiving many
people into thinking him a Christian. And now apparently he's even gaining
traction among Roman Catholics.
This story makes one's head spin. Peace activists opposing
German policy and state support for Ukraine (especially in light of Germany's
history with Russia) are now being punished by laws that ostensibly would have
been drafted to silence Nazis and Neo-Fascists in the post-war setting.
These are stressful times for the AKP leadership in Ankara
and many wonder if its long tenure is nearing its end. Erdogan has been on the
West's blacklist for years but his recent moves to block Sweden from joining
NATO have earned him a new set of enemies and with elections in the spring, the
pressure is starting to mount. These moves by the US Treasury Department are
only going to pour fuel on an already intensely burning fire.
Two headlines at The Christian Post recently caught my eye. As expected the Evangelical outlet wants to praise the Christian football players involved in the Super Bowl.
Here we go, I thought as I heard the BBC lead-in on the death of Pervez Musharraf. As expected the story was for the most part an exercise in spin and disingenuous reflection.
https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/italy-and-libya-reach-8b-deal-on-offshore-gas-development
Money is moving all around and when you take a moment and
squint through the fog you realize that in the deal, Italy is getting more
military cooperation to block migrants – Libya being one of the primary hubs
for the refugee trails coming out of Sub-Saharan Africa.
BBC's Newshour recently ran a story on Myanmar and the forgotten internal war that country faces, a conflict exacerbated by the February 2021 coup and takeover by the military. Two years later, the news outlet wanted to revisit the story – or so it seemed.
The Orwellian nature and blatant contradictions of the Western narratives surrounding The Ukraine War continue to become more pronounced – sometimes to the point of being comic.
South Africa has been catching quite a bit of flak as of late from the Western media. The ruling ANC has refused to openly condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine and worse, they are planning to participate in military exercises in February with both China and Russia.
I was disappointed but hardly surprised to find that a local 'Bible-believing' church leader posted anti-Covid material on Facebook.
In this case he couldn't believe the 'libtards' made such a
big deal about a virus that only had a .004% death rate.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50670613
This double windfall for capitalism is most clearly
demonstrated by recent events in France. President Macron has announced pension
reform. He argues (contrary to the numbers) that the present system is
unsustainable and as such he wants to raise the minimum retirement age and
expand the contribution requirement resulting in lower payouts for some. The
money just isn't there, he argues.
Russia's Wagner Group has been in the news a lot lately. It's painted as the ultimate evil – indeed all mercenary groups fall under that label. And interestingly many of the charges levied at Wagner could also be brought against organisations such as Blackwater (or whatever name it goes by these days), as well as DynCorp, Aegis, Paladin, and many others. Western media is particularly determined to paint Wagner with the darkest of hues and I don't doubt they're a nasty bunch. Whether some have prison records or not makes little difference. There are myriad American soldiers and veterans that are criminals whether or not they've ever been convicted by a court of law.
As is often the case, the real story is found in the lack of
media coverage. With a few paltry exceptions, Western media continues to ignore
reports of weapons bound for Ukraine ending up elsewhere.
https://www.democracynow.org/2022/10/12/mexico_military_drug_cartels_ayotzinapa_ministry
The GOP is screaming once again about the border. Biden
visited El Paso on his way to a North American Summit meeting in Mexico City.
The Right has been howling for months about his failure to visit the actual
border. So then when he shows up they go on the attack.
'How dare he!'
'It was a mere photo-op!'
Undoubtedly this is the case. This is what politicians do.
Here's the question. If Biden had showed up and took a list of demands made by
the governors of Florida and Texas and agreed to meet all their demands, what would
they say?
There's another missed story the media seems unwilling to focus on. The January 6 Committee (working parallel to the Department of Justice) largely focused on the foot soldiers and militia thugs who participated in the event. Consequently the committee provided a degree of cover for the high-level architects and congressional collaborators who participated in the attempted coup. Trump was certainly cast under a shadow but his allies in the congress, his cabinet, the Supreme Court, and even in law enforcement and the military were all effectively given a pass.
In the past when leaders made bold or revolutionary political moves, they either believed in their cause, or at the very least in themselves. They put it all on the line and risked all in order to grasp the power they coveted. Some were even willing to risk their lives.
Even as Polish support for The Ukraine War has led to
tensions with fellow V4-member Hungary, Warsaw is not entirely happy with the
Zelenskiy government. 1 January marked the birthday of Stepan Bandera, the
fascist OUN-B leader and Nazi collaborator whose paramilitaries (such as the
UPA) were responsible for tens of thousands of Polish and Jewish deaths during
the World War II.
https://www.politico.eu/article/moment-of-truth-for-polish-hungarian-toxic-relationship-approaches/
As regular readers will know, I have been keen for some time
to follow the Visegrad Four or V4 group, a faction within the EU. The loose
alliance came together as three nations in the early 1990's, and then became
four with the Czech-Slovak split. All four nations joined the EU in 2004 –
certainly with some mixed feelings. While the four countries (Poland, Czech
Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary) have never been fully unified, the bloc was
established to preserve common interests among these nations of Central (and
once 'Eastern') Europe.
There have been on again off again discussion for the past month or so over Christmas in Ukraine. And once again this has come up in the news cycle as a result of Putin's suggestion of temporary ceasefire for the Orthodox holiday.
